Honduran Conflict Resolution In Foreign Ministers’ Hands

A commission of foreign ministers will arrive in Honduras in the coming days, tasked with solving a conflict that neither dialogue nor economic sanctions have been able to fix.

The delegates will be responsible for restoring constitutional order in Honduras by means of the San José Agreement, a proposal for ending the standoff put forward by Costa Rican President Oscar Arias (TT, July 24).

Arias said his country’s foreign minister – Bruno Stagno – will be among the delegates.

“He … knows the challenges of both sides,” Arias said. Stagno sat through a fourday mediation process when representatives of the feuding parties met in Costa Rica.

OAS Secretary General José Miguel Insulza emphasized that the commission is not a departure from the current strategy of pursuing peace through dialogue.

“It’s a continuation of what has already been done,” he said.

Meanwhile, the San José Agreement, which was presented in Costa Rica at the conclusion of the mediation process, continues to be debated by the Honduran Congress.

“I think we need a response this week,” said Isidro Pineda, a party leader in ousted President Manuel Zelaya’s Liberal Party.

“We can’t live the rest of our lives in this abnormal situation. But in order for us to continue, in order for us to move past this conflict, we need patience and tolerance from all involved.”

–Chrissie Long